Crossroads Files Patent Infringement Suits on Storage Routers

Crossroads Systems, Inc. filed complaints today against Cisco Systems, Inc., NetApp, Inc., and Quantum Corp. in the federal district court in Austin, TX, alleging infringement of U.S. Patents 6,425,035 and 7,934,041.

Crossroads seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief.

The company asserts that each of these defendants have incorporated its patented technology into their storage systems, including Cisco’s MDS 9200 Series Switches, Cisco’s MDS 9500 Series Directors with MDS 9000 18/4-Port Service Module, NetApp’s E5400 Series Storage Arrays, and Quantum’s StorNext QX-Series Storage Arrays.

The asserted patents cover technology that is fundamental to secure and efficient access to network storage systems. The asserted patents are part of Crossroads’ ‘972 Patent Family.

Since 2001, Crossroads has licensed the ‘972 Patent Family to more than 40 companies and received in excess of $60 million in license and settlement revenue.

“We have a responsibility to our shareholders to maximize the value of the millions of dollars we have invested in our intellectual property,” said Richard K. Coleman, Jr., president and CEO, Crossroads. “We use every means possible to avoid litigation, but when all other avenues are exhausted, we will aggressively pursue every company, regardless of size or industry position, that continues to use our patented technology without a license.“